Small in the City

Product Information

The first picture book that the award-winning Sydney Smith has both written and illustrated is a story about feeling small in the city — and finding your way home. I shall choose Malaga over Cordoba, Seville and Granada. Constrained by the mountains and the Med, it is used by most visitors as a hopping-off point for the Costa del Sol or the white villages, but it shouldn’t be — it’s finally capitalised on its Picasso connection to become a boutique destination with real cultural clout. As this is taking place, a winter storm arrives and steadily intensifies. At the conclusion of the child’s journey, a mother waits outside and greets the child with an affectionate hug. By this time, there is a healthy accumulation of snow. Author and illustrator Sydney Smith wins second Kate Greenaway Medal for Small in the City (Walker Books)

We first see the child on a city bus. Departing the bus, the child walks through streets, hanging “Lost Cat” posters, and sharing recommendations as to where the missing cat should and shouldn’t go: There are dogs and dark alleys to avoid; a dryer vent under which a nap might be taken; a shop run by fishmongers who “would probably give you a fish if you asked.” This year Inclusive Minds CIC are lending their expertise to the 2021 Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Awards. The panel of Judges will have access to the Inclusive Minds Ambassador Network, who will help to bring a broad range of voices and perspectives on the books in contention for the Awards. YLG has 12 regional committees covering all of the UK and each committee advertises and democratically recruits a judge to represent them on the panel of judges. Each judge serves a two-year term and each year the panel is a unique mix of new and experienced judges led by the Chair of Judges. Following the independent diversity review of the Awards, CILIP introduced a co-opting procedure so that if this recruitment process does not result in a sufficiently diverse and representative judging panel, up to two judges will be co-opted to join the panel. In the first book that he has both written and illustrated, award-winning artist Sydney Smith spins a quiet, contemplative tale about seeing a big world through little eyes. As a writer, this book got me thinking about my approach to storytelling. Is there a way to incorporate something unexpected? To surprise the reader? Have I experimented enough?Through most of the story, the child is on his or her own. I assume that the character is on the way home after school. My guess is that they are eight or nine years. The gender of the child is unclear. At a certain point, in the journey of an illustrator, you come to an understanding that you are only as good as the collaboration between the text and image. If the story doesn’t read well you have failed and if all your efforts were to highlight your skill as an artist the project suffers. Your childhood has impacted your work as an illustrator. In what ways?

Since Sidewalk Flowers, I have been interested in how wordless moments in a book can change how the book is read. Wordless moments cause a pause in the voice of the reader. It has potential to disturb the natural rhythm and punctuate words by letting them linger in the air like a bell’s sustained ring. It is especially effective if you anticipate a moment of clarity. If the images contradict the text or there is a subtext that becomes clear, adding a wordless image can give the reader a moment to process the information given. Or it could just represent a quiet in the mind of a character. As mentioned, in Town is by the Sea I used the wordless sequence to create the tension of waiting for the father. In Small in the City the text vanishes at the same time the noises of the city would in the snow storm. Sidewalk Flowers was about discovering beauty in the busy city and sharing it. I worked on that book when I first moved to Toronto. Town is by the Sea is about struggle, family, and legacy. My first child, my son, was born while I was working on that book. It helped me process the significance of the moment. Now it’s Small in the City. It’s about navigating the nonstop urban life while also walking the path of grief after losing a loved one. Sheila Barry, my friend and editor, passed away as I was developing this book. Through this character I am able to project and process my own emotion after losing someone that important to me. Challenging myself is the primary goal of working. I cannot be excited about a project unless I challenge myself to take risks and work outside my comfort zones. I tend to start a project open and free and build up rules as I go. Most of my challenges are about breaking those fake rules. Or setting my goals and expectations so high that although I may never reach them I still achieve far more than I could before. The fake rules I impose are usually about materials I use or the way I pace the story or external expectations. For the next book, I play around with materials I haven’t tried before and a style that is different than I am used to. Thank you, Sydney, for sharing your work and your process! Smith’s understated portrait of longing for the return of a beloved family member takes readers on a quiet but powerful emotional journey . . .”— Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

Coverage:

Now in its third year, this award has evolved out of CILIP’s Diversity Review, which identified opportunities to empower and celebrate the young people involved in the Medals through the shadowing scheme.